Philippine Adobo, marinated chicken and pork simmered in vinegar, soy sauce and seasonings served with a side of steamed rice at Maki Sushi Bar & Bistro in Anderson Friday, May 18, 2018. BART BOATWRIGHT/Staff

Philippine Fried Rice, garlic fried rice topped with two over easy eggs and crispy Filipino pork served with a side of seaweed salad at Maki Sushi Bar & Bistro in Anderson Friday, May 18, 2018. BART BOATWRIGHT/Staff

It's pretty easy to see the excitement that the opening of MaKi Sushi Bar and Bistro has caused around Anderson. It's all over the faces of the many people who have walked by the restaurant space at 126 N. Main St. in downtown Anderson and peeked in the window.

While talking to owners RJ and Dana Apozaga less than two weeks before the restaurant's grand opening, no fewer than six people walked by and looked through the windows. Some waved, some kept moving, but all smiled and seemed to say, "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"You can tell people are ready for us to open," Dana said in between sweeping the hardwood floors and checking to be sure several of the orders were in place. "I think people have been looking for a sushi spot downtown for a long time and it really helps that they know the people doing it."

RJ has been a chef at Nami at Portman Marina for 10 years before he left to open MaKi earlier this year. He studied his craft under that restaurant's sushi master and had always wanted to break out on his own. Now, he has that opportunity and it all starts with the grand opening on May 30.

For the next week, the Apozagas will be training kitchen, wait and host staff while everyone learns the new menu. RJ said it took a while to bring the menu together just because there were so many different flavors he wanted to bring to his diners. By the time he finished, it was a good representation of his journey and a great starting point for the restaurant as a whole.

"Bringing fresh fish and high quality ingredients was important to me," RJ said. "That with all the different flavors we are using will showcase that fresh Asian detail."

RJ and his kitchen staff pride themselves on making everything in house including broths, sauces and many seasonings. He also intends on honoring the Asian tradition of using seasonal items and expects to change the menu every few months depending on what is available.

The menu will include raw rolls, cooked rolls, Nigiri and specialty rolls built by RJ himself. There will also be appetizers like edamame, gyoza and lettuce wraps along with miso soup, seaweed salad and Sunomono, a seaweed and cucumber mix that refreshes the palate.

And what is the chef himself most excited about? Well, being a native of the Philippines, RJ can't wait to introduce diners to some dishes he grew up with.

"I look forward to doing the lumpia, pancit and adobo," he said. "Those will only be lunch items at first, except for the lumpia, but if they are popular they could make it to the next dinner menu as well."

There will also be a full bar including sake, sake cocktails, liquor, craft and imported beer and and extensive wine list. Dana said the wine list was especially important because of the many flavor profiles in sushi and other Asian dishes that match with so many different varieties.

"Some sushi calls for a light white wine while others will go best with a robust red," she said.

And in the end, the sushi will be the star of the show. That's why they invested so much into it and why it is the centerpiece of the warm, inviting restaurant that blends a contemporary feel with a clean, traditional atmosphere.

Reservations are highly suggested, Dana said, especially at the beginning. For the first few weeks, only the downstairs will be open. After that, the upstairs and it's second bar will open to all as well. There are also plans to build a second-floor patio offering intimate, outdoor dining overlooking Wren Park.

The grand opening will be Wednesday, May 30, for dinner service only. The following day will begin MaKi's lunch and dinner service. Hours of service will be Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until for dinner. MaKi will be closed on Sundays.